Riveting apparatus



March 2, 1943. J. JACQUES 2,312,554

RIVETING APPARATUS 7 Filed April 26, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WI TNESSES;INVENTOR;

z/uiai aflg Jean Jacyues,

. BY M A TTORNEKS.

Patented Mar. 2, 1943 UNETED STTES PATH? FEE 8 Claims.

This invention has reference to means for making riveted joints betweensheet-plate and sections, while it has more particular reference toapparatus of the type preferably adapted for use in connection withaircraft construction.

Apparatus of the indicated species usually comprise means for rivetingtogether thin sheet metal members and sections, with concurrentexpansion of the aligned rivet holes by the inserted. rivet, so that thehead of the latter fills the expanded parts with a flush finish on thesheet metal outer face.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved easilyportable and well-balanced riveting apparatus which can be raised,lowered, or laterally moved with a minimum of effort, whereby a savingof time and labor is effected.

Another object is the provision of an apparatus of the indicated speciespreferably adapted for riveting together the cover sheets andreinforcing ribs of airplane wings, rudders and analogous thin metalstructural parts.

A further object is to provide in pressure actuated apparatus of theabove defined species improved means in combination for efiecting therivet insertion and shank end deformation for completion of the joint inone operation.

While the foregoing objective definitions are indicative in a generalway of the aims of this invention, other objects with ancillaryadvantages will be evident to those skilled in the art upon a' fullunderstanding of the construction, arrangement and operation of themeans hereafter fully disclosed, but it will also be appreciated thatsaid invention is susceptible of other embodiments, or structurallymodified forms, coming equally within the terms and scope of theconcluding claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a broken elevation of a portable riveting apparatus embodyingthe present improvements.

Fig. 2' is a larger scale elevation of the lower portion, or rivetinghead, of the preceding illustration.

Fig. 3 is a still further increased scale, part elevation and partsectional, detail view of th rivet upsetting means in initial position.

Fig. 4 is a similar view but showing the die head or anvil member havingadvanced the rivet ready for upsetting.

Fig. 5 is a corresponding view with the butterup means in positionincidental to completion of the riveted joint; and,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary part elevation and part sectional view of amodified form of the rivet upsetting and associated means.

In describing the forms of this invention exemplified in the abovecaptioned drawings herewith, specific terms will be employed for thesake of clarity, but it is to be understood the scope of said inventionis not thereby limited, while like reference characters are used todesignate corre-. sponding parts in all the views.

In Fig. l of the drawings there is shown a fragmentary portion of anoverhead track I affording support for a trolley 8 having freelyrotative rollers 9, coactive with said track, and a subjacent sheave [3over which passes a cable I l, provided with a hook l2 at one end forengagement with a suspension element [3, pivotally attached at M to theriveting apparatus, comprehensively designated !5; while a weight l6 atthe other end of the cable ll serves to counterbalance said apparatus.

The riveting apparatus I5 comprises a somewhat horseshoe shaped bodyframe, one leg I! whereof is formed with an inwardly directed extension!8 having an end step 19, defined by spaced lugs 2 ii, affordingoscillatory support, by a pivot pin 2 i, for a lever or butter-up device22. This butter-up device 22 is provided at the upper part with acrusher head 23, and said device has the lower end operatively coup-ledat 24 to the piston rod 25, of a pneumatic actuator 26, for example,which is supported by the lateral extension I8 aforesaid.

Seated firmly on the step or cut-out i3 is a removable abutment block2?, having an elbowed hollow 28, for free reception of the upper portionof the butter-up device 22, said device including a crusher head 23arcually movable into axial registration with a beveled aperture 29, inthe block 2?, adapted for reception of the rivet 39 to be clinched. Itis to be here noted that the aperture 29, as best shown in Figs. 3-5,embodies an outer countersink 3| and an inner countersink 32, with theintervening part 29 cylindrical, for a purpose later on explained.

At the lower end of the body frame other leg 33 is a bearing 34affording reciprocative guidance for the shank 35 of a tool or die 33,said shank having the outer end fulcrumed at 31 to a pendent cam device38, supported by a pivot 39 rigid with the leg 33. Coactive with the camdevice 38 is a freely rotative roller Ml, journaled by a stationary pin4! in the forked end 42 of the piston rod 43 of a second pneumaticactuator A l rigidly sustained by the leg 33, while a buffer spring 45,in compression, intervenes the cam' device 38 and the confronting end ofthe bearing 34, for normally influencing said device in acounterclockwise direction.

For operating the riveting apparatus [5, use is preferably made ofpressure air supplied from any convenient source by a suitable conduit46, having a shut-off 4,1, in flow communication with a conventionalthree-way control 48; said control, in turn, having pipe connections 49,D to the actuators 44 and 26, respectively.

In operating the apparatus l5 and assuming it is being used forattaching an airplane wing cover sheet 55 to an angle sectionreinforcing rib 52, with the latter resting on the abutment block 2'! asshown in Figs. 1 and 2, 'a rivet '38 is inserted through the registeringholes 53, in such parts, see Fig. 3. The apparatus I5 is first moved, asobvious to those conversant with the art, to place the tool or die 36 incontact with the outer flat face of the countersink head of the rivet35, when the handle 55 of the shut-off 2'? and the handle 55 ofthethree-way control 58 are both turned clockwise from the positions shownin Fig. 1 to those of Fig. 2; or, respectively through an angle ofninety degrees and fortyfive degrees, whereupon flow communication fromthe source of pressure supply by way of the conduit 35, control 3 andpipe 4% to the actuator 34, with the resultant forcing of the rivet 30into the position of Fig. 4, whereby the lapping sheet 5| and rib 52 arelocally countersunk inwards, as indicated at 5%, until the flat headface of said rivet is flush with the outer surface of the sheet 5|, asclearly understandable from said figure. The control handle 55 is nowturned clockwise, through a further angle of forty-five degrees, to theposition indicated by dot-and-dash lines 55' in Fig. 2, withestablishment of pressure flow through the connection 59 to the actuator28, whereupon the piston rod 25 is retracted inwardly, and the butter-up22 rocked on its pivot 2!, with movement of the crusher head 23outwardly to effect clinching distortion of the rivet shank, into therivet head formation 5'! illustrated in Fig. 5. It will now be clearlyapparent that the recession 58 in the crusher head 23 effects comp-actinterlocking of the deformed rivet shank with the inner edges of thecountersunk portions 56 of the plate sheet 5| and reinforcing rib 52.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 6, the butter-updevice 22' is in the form of a fork ended lever coupled at 24 to thepiston rod 25 as before described, but having the upper fork end 59pivoted at Silto a plunger 65, having a crusher'head formation 23 at itsfree end; said plunger being reciprocative in a bore 52 in the abutmentblock 2?, in an obvious manner.

Attention is directed to the fact that the abutmentblocks 21, 2'3, Figs.2 and 6 respectively, are preferably made removable by provision of aprojection 63 engaging in a bore 54' of the lateral extension I8, andlocked therein by a set screw 55, whereby provision is afforded for theuse of variable sized crusher heads 23, 23'.

While there has'been disclosed'specific embodiments of the inventiveidea, it is to be understood the same are not necessarily limitative; asdetailchanges may obviously be made to meet diiferent requirements ofpractice or adaptation without departing from the scope of saidinvention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In apparatus for riveting together sheet metal elements havingaligned rivet holes, the combination of a frame including a lateralportion; a stationary abutment carried by the lateral portion, saidabutment having a cavityand communicating die-aperture including opposedrecessions with an intervening bore; presser means actuable to force asuitably-headed rivet, axially relative to the aligned holes aforesaid,with local displacement of the sheet metal elements into the adjoiningrecession of the dieaperture; a pivotal element carried by the frame.lateral portion and having a crusher-head actuable in the abutmentcavity; and means to rock said pivotal element, whereby the crusher-headis caused to deform the outer end of the rivet shank into head formationwhile said rivet is restrained from movement by the presser means.

2. In apparatus for riveting together sheet metal elements havingaligned rivet holes, the combination of a portable frame including aninward projection; a rigid abutment removably carried by the frameinward projection, said abutment having a cavity and communicatingdie-aperture including taper-recessions with an intervening straightbore; a presser device aligned with the die-aperture and actuable toforcea countersink-headed rivet axially relative to the rivet holesaforesaid, for local displace ment of the sheet metal elements into thecon: fronting taper-recession of the abutment dieaperture; a butter-uppivotally supported by the frameinward projection .and including an angu'larly related crusher-head located within the abutment cavity; andmeans to rock the butterup whereby'the crusher-head is caused to deformthe free end of the rivet shank into a head formation,abutting andwithin the outer circumferential edge confines ofthedisplaced sheet'metal, while said rivet is restrained'against axial movement by thepresser device.

3. In apparatus for riveting together sheet metal andreinforcing-sections having aligned rivet holes therein, the combinationofa portable counterbalanced horseshoe-like frame embodying aninwardly-directed lateral-extension of one leg; a removable abutmentblock rigidly supported by the free end of said leg inward extension,such abutment block having an el'bowed-cavity and communicatingdie-aperture including outwardlyordinated with the lower end of theoscillatable element, wherebythelatter'is rocked on its pivot to butt-upthe outer end of the rivet shank while said rivet is restrained-againstaxial movement by the presser device'a'foresa-id.

4. Apparatus for riveting togethersheet metal and reinforcing-sectionsin accordance with claim 3, 'wherein the'frame inwardly directedextension has a terminal step de'fined byilaterally spaced lugs, theremovable abutment block embodies a projection engaged in the framelateral extension, and means rigidly securing said projection to theabutment block.

5. Apparatus for riveting sheet metal and reinforcing-sections inaccordance with claim 3, wherein the presser is operated by a pendentlysupported cam carried by the frame leg and operatively coupled to thepresser, and a shiftable actuator roller coacts with the cam to move thepresser into active position in opposition to retractile means.

6. Apparatus for riveting sheet metal and re inforcing-sections inaccordance with claim 3, wherein the crusher device is in the form of afork-ended pivotal lever, a plunger is operatively coordinated to theupper end of said lever, said plunger being slidable in a complementarybore in the abutmentblock, and a die having a recess adapted to form arivet head within the confines of the inwardly forced sheet metal edgesis provided at the free end of said plunger.

7. Apparatus for riveting sheet metal and reinforcing-sections inaccordance with claim 3, wherein the cam-operable presser device and thecrusher oscillatable element are respectively pneumatically actuated;and a three-way device controls supply of pressure air first to thepresser service, and then jointly therewith to the oscillatable crushermeans.

8. Apparatus for securing together multiple metallic sheets or the likehaving aligned rivet holes therein, by means of taper head rivets,comprising a stationary abutment with a dieaperture including anoutwardly-flared recession adapted to the head taper of the rivetsemployed; a presser for forcing the sheet metal, by aid of the head of arivet thrust shank foremost, through the metal and into the dieaperture, against the flared surface of the said die-aperture; and anoscillatable lever having a crusherhead operative while the rivet isheld to the abutment by the presser to head over the end of the rivetshank upon the peripheral edges of the sheet metal around the rivethead, said crusher having a recess to determine formation of a head of asize corresponding to the minimum diameter of the die-aperture in thestationary abutment.

JEAN JACQUES.

